Tray-stacking machine



y G, MATSU'sHlTA. y TRAY STACKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED. .IAN`8. 192i.

Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l IG; MATsusmTA'.. TRAY STACKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 8.11921.

- y wanted 1m29, 1922.

3. SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G.' MATsu'smTA. TRAY sTAcKmG MACHINE.. 'PPLICATIQN FILED JAN 8. 1921.

Patentd Aug. 29', 1922.

a'sHEETs-suazr '3.

GENTARO yM.A'ISUSHI'JJA, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

TRAY-STACKING MACHINE. 1 7

specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 29, 1922,

Application filed January 8, 1921. SerialNo. 435,933.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it lrnown that I, GnN'rARo MATsUsHITA, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing in the city and county of Fresno and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tray-Stacking ,Machines of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation rto improvements in tray-stacking machines,- and vcomprehends means for picking up the trays from the ground,- and means for depositingthe gathered trays in piles upon the ground.

To accomplish these objects I have pr'ovided a main truck frame, a supplemental gathering frame, guiding elements for shif"- ing the trays upon the gathering frame, a conveyor' arranged to deliver the trays to the stacking elements, devices for stacking the trays one upon another, and releasing means whereby the stacked tra-ys are deposited in piles upon the ground.

The invention further includes automati conveyor serves to trip the reieasing means rGenerally speaking,` the invention may be .dened as consisting of the combinations of elements embodied in the claims hereto annexed, and illustrated in the drawings form ing a part hereof; the invention being an improvement on the device shown and described in my lapplication for a patent for tray-stacking machines, filed September 16, 1919, bearing Serial Number 324235.

The primary object of this invention is to place the trays when containing the grapes, in piles, for protection from rain. 1

In the method heretofore employed in handling and yharvesting grapes, the same are placed on trays which are left in a row to dry in the field, and afterward thetrays are manually gathered separately.

It is an object of this invention to facilitate the harvesting of grapes, and to attain this end, I have provided a device adapted to gather the trays from a row, to pile the trays upon one another 4until the pile is of a convenient size, and to then deposit the pile upon the ,round In the rawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved tray-stacking machine. Fig. 2 is a perspective and fragmentary detail view of the releasing means. Fig. 3 is a detail. View of the stacking frame. Fig. 4: is atop plan view of the machine. Fig. y5 is a rear elevation of the machine with someof the part-s omitted., Fig. 6 is a perspective l beadjusted to project from either side of the vmain-frame 1, being` secured in position by the pin S, passing through bar 6 and main thill-frame 7. yThe side bars 9, of frame 1, are connected by a platform 10,`and further reinforced by the di'ivesseat 11, and footrest 12,and at the rear by a frame-element 13, which serves to support the stacking elements. Traction wheels 2 are mounted on a shaft 14, journalled in bearing standards 15, ,4

xed to themain frame l.

n Wheels 2 are independently rotative upon the main shaft lei, which is provided with a inas'tergear wheel 16. Shaft 14, through the clutch 17, may be placed in operative en-y gagement with the traction wheels, so that the advancing movement. of the fmachine will serve to rotate the master gear wheel 16. provided with sprockets 19 and a pinion 20 which isin mesh with gear wheel 16. Link chains 21 'run over the sprockets 19,and at the forward' end of the main frame, over the idler sprockets 22, independently rotative upon shaft. 23. Conveyor bars 24 are arranged at intervals upon chains 21. Tray forks 25, pivotally connected to shaft 23, are held in engagement with the ground by springs 26, and are adapted to gather the trays upon the advancey motion lof the machine. Stops 27, fixed to tray-forks 25, serve to limit the depth to which the forks may penetrate the ground. The advancing movement of the machine.l serves to force the trays rearwardly and in engagement with theconveyor bars 24, which then carry the trays along the inclined platform 10t`o the stacking elements. To place the trays in alignment before they are engaged by the conveying elements, I have provided on'oppo` site sidesof the platform` the tray adjusters 28 pivotally connected relative to ytraygathering forks 25, and having relatively short arms normally outof the path of the trays as they engage with thegathering Sprocket shaft y, 18 is forks, and having relatively long arms 73. Foot lever 29, pivotally mounted relative to the main frame, has a depending lever arm '74. Links 30 connert lever arms 78, of tray adjusters 28, and lever arm 74. The

operator, by actuating the `foot lever with a forward movement, may momentarily force the tray-adjusting arms 72, of the tray adjusters, in the path of an advancing tray, which is thereupon forced in alignment with the frame and conveyorv bars 24. Wvhen the operator releases foot lever 29, the adjusters 28 will drop out of the path of the advancing tray, or' to inoperative position, as the tray iscarried along by the advancing movement of the machine.

et the rear end of the conveyor, 1 have provided means for stacking the trays, consisting of dependingand inwardly projecting brackets 31, fixed to frame member 13. and to the guide frame members 32. (ln these guide-frame members 32, are mounted the Amovable stacking frame members 323, which, with top bars 34 and bottom bars 85, and transverse bars 3G, constitute a vertically sliding frame for the stack of trays. Springs 37, interposed between the fixed guide frame members 32, and the top bars 34. of the sliding frame, tend to maintain the sliding frame in its uppermost position. Tiltable and inwardly projecting tray-holdingv member '38, are hingedly 'connectedto the bottom of the sliding frame, and have fixed thereto the lever arms 39, which are pivotally connected to the vertically arranged slidingbars l0, working in guides Z1 on the sliding frame. lllhen there are no trays on holding members 38, the weight of bars 40, vserves to maintain the holding' members in a tray-receiving position., and detent member 41, pivotally connected at the point e2 `withhthe sliding frame, engages with bars 40, thereby holding the tray-receiving members 3S in operative position while a number of trays are stacked thereon as herein-- after set forth. ik stop 43, limits the movement of detent member -l-l. and a spring,` all serves to retract the detent member to operative position relative to the corresponding lsliding bar 40.

As the trays leave the conveyor, the;v are forced upon tiltablc tray-carrierst. hingedly connected to guide frame members iii, which have projecting arms 46, normally in engagement with detent members el?. These deteut members it?, are pivotally connected at the points 48, with guide-frame members 32, and are provided with arms 49, and on the opposite end, with segment gears 50. rlrp arms 51, mounted on shaft 52, are normally disposed in the path of the trays as they are carried by the conveyor to the rear of the machine. Levers 53, fixed to shaft 52, are connected by link-bars 54:, vwith ldctent arms 49, the arrangement being such 'members 47 to operative position.

that an advancing tray on the conveyor, will serve to-automatically release the tray which is upon the tiltable carrier, through the pinions `in mesh with gear sectors 50, the levers 5G integral with pinions 55, and links 5a', connecting the levers 56 with armsll.

T he sliding frame moves downward step by step as the trays are deposited on the holders and overcome the resistance of the supporting springs, these springs being constructed of such resistance, thatthe sliding fame will only assume its lowermost position when. veight full trays are deposited on the holders. @n each movement of the detent member e7, to release the tray upon the carriers 45, the pawl 58 actuates the ratchet wheels 59. Vllhen eight trays have been released from the carriers and are stacked on the tiltable 'i tray holders 38, the .cams 60, fixed to; ratchet wheels 59, are brought to a vertical position for engagement with detent members 4:1, and fctuating them to release the bars 40, which hold the tray-holding members 38 in operative position. Springs 61, connected'to seat-standards 62, and to lugs 63, on linkbars 54;, retract the trip arms 51 and detent Pawls 64. limitV the 'turning movement of the ratchet wheels to one direction. The arrangement is such that the pawls 64 will actuate the ratchet wheels for one-eighth of a revolution just prior to the release, by detent members el?, of arms 46 xe'd to the tray carriers. This allows the release of the stack of trays, and return of the sliding frame to its uppermost position, just prior to the release of the' tray carriers from'their operative position.

From the foregoing description, it may be seen thatr l have provided efficient means for gathering the traysfrom a row, for arranging them instacks of eight, and for depositing them in piles upon the ground, all 'ofl which functions are accomplished with the advancing movement of the machine.

The lever 65 is provided for operating the clutch from the drivers seat position. Antifriction rollers 66, are provided for the' sliding-1- and stacking' frame. A. spring 67, holds the ratchet pawl 58, in operative position. The truck fra-me members 69 and 70 serve to support the main frame memi t ber 7.

lllhat is claimed is:

1. ln a tray-piling machine, the combination with an inclined platform, of traction wheels supporting the platform at the rear thereof. truck wheels supporting the forward end of the platform, a conveyor'moving on the platform and actuated bythe movement of the traction wheels, a fixed shaft disposed at the forward end of the platform, tray-gathering forks pivotally mounted on the fixed shaft, spring means for maintaining the forks in contact with the ground, means for limiting ,the depth to which the forks penetrate the ground, means for aligning the trays with the conveyor prior to their delivery from the forks to the conveyor, means for stacking the trays as theyare delivered from the conveyor, and means for dropping the stacked trays When a full stack is attained.

2. In a tray-piling machine, thecombination With an inclined platform, of traction Wheels supporting the platform at the rear thereof, truck Wheels supporting the for-l ward end of the platform, a conveyor moving on the platform and actuated by the movement of the traction Wheels, the conveyor traveling in a direction opposite to thek advance motion of the machine, a stacking frame disposed at the rear of the inclined platform, tray-stack holders hinged to the stacking frame, tray carriers hinged to the Arear portion of the main frame, said trayf carriersbeing superposed relative to the tray-stack holders, means actuated bythe trays on the conveyor, for releasing the traycarriers whereby the trays are deposited on the tray-stack holders, andv means for releasing the tray-stack holders When a predetermined number of trays are deposited thereon.

3. In a tray-piling machine the combination with an inclined platform having traygathering forks, an endless conveyor .carrying the trays from the forks to the rear of the platform, and integral guide-frame ele* ments at the rear krof the conveyor, of a sliding frame mounted on the guide-frame elements, springs supporting the sliding frame in its uppermost position, tray-holders at the bottom of the sliding frame, said frame sliding downward step by step as the trays are depositedon the holders and overcome the resistance of the supportingv4 springs, tray-carriers tiltably mounted relative to the guide-frame members, detent means for the tray-carriers, means actuated by the trays on the conveyor'to release' the detent members holding the traycarriers, means for releasing the tray-holders, and a ratchet and rkpaWl mechanism` operatedby the tray-carrier releasing mechanism, and serving -to actuate the tray-holder releasing means.

In testimony whereof, Ir hereunto affix my signature this 31st day of December,

GENTARO MATSUSHITA.y 

